Strokes Grow Bolder
by Tika Cichowski
Summary: AU. The Cichowski triplets has taken a lot on since their mother's death. Between fighting with the oldest and the youngest of the triplets, and trying to make everything easier for her youngest sister Lizzie, Tika never seems to have time to find a life


She watched as the strokes grew longer and bolder, finally taking shape. Her own escape from the misery that haunted her life, her way of burying everything that bothered her. The landscape came into view and looked so undauntedly pure that she had to create rain clouds and lightening bolts.

God, how she hated moving to new schools, a habit her father had picked up years ago from the military. Her father had been an army brat and never wanted his children to go through that, or so he always said when he was drunk and wanted to gain his children's trust in order to beat the hell out of them.

Sighing she turned her head softly to the side and looked at her sister. She always looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, but she knew the peace wouldn't last all night. Soon the nightmares would take over and it would once again remind them why they moved so often. The night terrors that had followed watching their uncle murder their mother, he had never been caught. In his own misery of missing his beloved wife, their father, Karson, turned to the only thing that could offer him comfort. Well the only two things that could offer him comfort, booze and a whore.

With a last look out her new bedroom window into the darkened night, the young woman stood and stretched before climbing into bed. With a last pray of safety for the next morning at school, she succumbed to the dreams that wanted to subdue her.

Scholastika Cichowski sat straight up in bed and started at her alarm clock. Damnit, how could she have overslept, she had went to bed early enough. Thankfully she had been smart enough to lay out everyone's uniform the night before all pressed and polished. Swearing viciously in Polish she threw her legs over the edge of her bed and threw her pillow at her sister.

"Kassia wake the hell up. We have to go to school today."

Her sister snuggled even further into the blankets, "Go away Tika and let me dream in peace. I'm not feeling good."

Softly Tika padded over to her sister's bed and sat down. She gently stroked her hair, "I know you never feel good Kassia but maybe this will be the last time. Okay? Now come on get up and get dressed while I go deal with Stanislaus. God why did Mama have to pick such an ugly name for him?"

Kassia giggled and looked over at her fraternal triplet, "Because it was our grandfather's name. Come on Tika you have a kind of ugly name yourself."

Tika made a face at her sister. "Yeah you and Lizzie are the only ones that got decent names out of this whole deal. Get up."

"Yes mommy." Kassia said sarcastically.

Tika glared at her a moment. "Don't be impudent. I will douse you with water."

Kassia smiled and watched as her sister stood and walk out the room. She never could quite understand how she could be so different. The only time she showed any type of emotion was when it came to her siblings. It was if the world was a cold empty place for her, but then again wasn't it for a lot of people.

Shaking her head she climbed out of bed and headed toward the shower. She knew without a doubt that Tika would throw water at her. Pulling her long chestnut hair out of the braid she had put it in the night before, she started the water and climbed in.

Tika walked briskly down the hall. Memories swirled through her head as she remembered how her mother would smile so brightly on the first day of school.

"_Tika! Kassia! Stan! Get up my darlings, today is the first day of school." Her mother would always sing, knocking on everyone's door before disappearing into Lizzie's nursery._

_Grudgingly Tika would get up, her head pounding because the night before she and Kassia had gone to bed mad at one another. Yet because of how cheerful and supportive their mother had been the first day always got off to a wonderful start._

She felt another pang in her heart. She could remember how easily that smile disappeared, she shook her head. There was no point whatsoever to let her memories run that wild. With a final shake she knocked firmly on Stan's door. "Stanislaus get up. First day of school and you have to take Kassia with you. I don't want you there late and trust me I'll know."

She heard some grumbling and then her older brother's feet hit the hardwood floor. She couldn't help but grin when she heard Stan start cursing about how idiotic it was to even attend school. It was true, since their mother's death Karson had been moving from place to place, all places that seemed to remind him over his departed wife after a while.

She continued on her way to Lizzie's room, the one sibling that brought out the extreme best in Tika. She opened the door and sang lightly, "Ladybug Lizzie. Are you up yet?"

The three year old sat at her table, her black hair tucked behind her ears and her walnut colored eyes shown with amusement. She was surrounded by baby dolls and each one had a bottle propped up against their mouths, one she had laid in her arms and she was holding it gently against her.

"'Orning Tika. Wanna play?" Lizzie asked cautiously, her dark eyes showing nothing but doubt.

"I'd love too honey but we have to get ready for school, 'member? You are starting preschool today."

She shook her head sending her glistening hair around her. "No, I don't wanna go. Don't make me please Tika, please don't make me."

Sighing Tika reached out and stroked her sister's hair. "You have to Lizzie; it's just something that's just done. Now come on and I'll give you your bath. I'm going to take you to school so you won't have to worry okay?"

The nod was hesitant but it came. Tika was relieved and with a quick move settled her sister on her hip.

Tika hurried through the deserted hallway. Where the hell was the office? She needed to find it desperately or else she would be late for class. It wasn't her fault that Lizzie had clung, begged and sobbed about being left at preschool; it wasn't until she promised Lizzie that she'd visit during lunch that she was able to escape.

At the end of the hall she saw the door that read "OFFICE" and she breathed a sigh of relief. With steady hands she opened the door and smiled at the secretary, "Excuse me ma'am?"

The older woman looked up at her and smiled. "May I help you?"

"Yes, my name is Scholastika Cichowski and I need my locker number and combination, and my schedule please."

"Of course." The woman shuffled through papers on her desk. Drawing two papers from the stack she continued. "I knew your mother. It's such a shame what happened to her."

"Yes Ma'am it was." Quickly she reached for the papers and took them. "Thank you. I can see myself to my class."

"You're welcome Miss Cichowski. Welcome to Riverside and may you have a nice year."

She nodded briskly and headed out. She rushed down the hallway looking for the History classroom, her heart pounding with every step. She hated coming to a new school, no friends, no help, no hope.

Tika came to a stop in front of room 249 and took a deep breath before pushing it open. The teacher looked over at her from the chalkboard, his face contorted in annoyance at being disrupted.

"May I help you Miss?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to be in this class. My name is Tika; it's nice to meet you too. Where do I sit?"

"Manners, miss manners. We always remember our manners when speaking to our elders."

"Yes sir. I'll keep that in mind for later. Where do I sit?" She asked again looking into blood-red eyes.

With a flutter of his hand the teacher pointed to a desk sitting in front of a boy with two-toned slate hair looking half-asleep. Walking over there she noticed his feet resting on her chair. With no ceremony and a glare she picked up his feet and half tossed them across the aisle sending the boy spinning sideways. Carefully she took her seat and folded her hands nicely in front of her.

Kai Hirwatari looked at her in astonishment. No girl had ever done that and he had to admit that she had spunk. She was cute too, her long auburn hair cascaded down her back and her chocolate eyes had a hatred in them that he often saw in his own; they were outlined in thick, black eyelashes, her nose was small and straight with a hint of freckles, her mouth was a rosebud and full. All set into a round face with a very appealing body.

Leaning forward he whispered in her ear. "You have no idea what you just got into."


End file.
